The present invention provides edible tubular food casings, a method for producing said edible tubular food casings, compositions for forming said edible tubular food casings and the use of said edible tubular food casings for example as a sausage casing, which food casings are hot water and sodium salt resistant, stable at high temperatures, can be easily shined and are ready to be stuffed with foodstuff, especially by meat, cheese or fish products, but also with vegetarian or vegan foodstuff.

A food barrier-casing for foods which, in the casing, are scalded, cooked or heated in another manner, in particular for cooked-meat or scalded-emulsion sausages, ham, cured products, fish or processed cheese. The casing includes at least one water-vapour- and/or gas-impermeable film (1), and has an absorbent internal layer (2) made of individual fibers or made of a woven fabric, knitted fabric, or a nonwoven, bonded thereto and this internal layer (2) is impregnated with dyes and/or flavourings. The external side of the barrier-casing is predominantly formed of a polyester film (1a) made of polyethylene terephthalate and this polyester film (1a) is bonded via a bonding layer (1b) to the absorbent internal layer (2).

There is provided a system and a process for picking up and transporting a casing of indefinite length into relationship with a device, such as a device for measuring the diameter of the casing. The process comprises the steps: i) placing the casing on a support; ii) directing an actuated arm equipped with a finger towards the casing; iii) moving the actuated arm away from the support and activating rollers to coil the casing onto the finger; and iv) moving the finger with the casing to a device, such as a device for measuring the diameter thereof, and decoiling the casing to transfer it to the device.

There is provided a system and a process for picking up and transporting a casing of indefinite length into relationship with a device, such as a device for measuring the diameter of the casing. The process comprises the steps: i) placing the casing on a support; ii) directing an actuated arm equipped with a finger towards the casing; iii) moving the actuated arm away from the support and activating rollers to coil the casing onto the finger; and iv) moving the finger with the casing to a device, such as a device for measuring the diameter thereof, and decoiling the casing to transfer it to the device.

Rigid shirred food casing articles (e.g., shirred sticks of casing material) include a cohesion-enhancing solution applied to at least one surface of the casing material. The cohesion-enhancing solution comprises at least one polysaccharide (e.g., dextrin) and a predominantly non-aqueous solvent (e.g., comprising propylene glycol). The coherency-enhancing solution comprises less than 50 wt. % water. Related methods and compositions are also disclosed.

The present invention provides a multi-layered coextruded thermoplastic food casing comprising: at least one thermoplastic porous absorbing layer; and at least one layer having a barrier effect for water vapor and/or oxygen, wherein the at least one layer having a barrier effect for water vapor and/or oxygen has an average layer thickness in a range of from 5 to 60 μm over the entire surface area, wherein the at least one thermoplastic porous absorbing layer comprises as a main component at least one thermoplastic polymer material selected from the group consisting of (co)polyamides and (co)polyolefins, wherein the at least one thermoplastic porous absorbing layer comprises areas having a reduced average layer thickness and areas having a non-reduced average layer thickness, wherein the average layer thickness of the at least one thermoplastic porous absorbing layer in areas having a non-reduced average layer thickness is in a range of from 10 to 200 μm, wherein the average layer thickness in areas having a reduced average layer thickness is lower by 7 to 140 μm and is reduced by a range of from 30 to 85% compared to the areas having a non-reduced average layer thickness of the at least one thermoplastic porous absorbing layer, and wherein both areas having a reduced average layer thickness and a non-reduced average layer thickness comprise pores which are able to absorb a functional additive.

The present invention provides a multi-layered coextruded thermoplastic food casing comprising: at least one thermoplastic porous absorbing layer; and at least one layer having a barrier effect for water vapor and/or oxygen, wherein the at least one layer having a barrier effect for water vapor and/or oxygen has an average layer thickness in a range of from 5 to 60 μm over the entire surface area, wherein the at least one thermoplastic porous absorbing layer comprises as a main component at least one thermoplastic polymer material selected from the group consisting of (co)polyamides and (co)polyolefins, wherein the at least one thermoplastic porous absorbing layer comprises areas having a reduced average layer thickness and areas having a non-reduced average layer thickness, wherein the average layer thickness of the at least one thermoplastic porous absorbing layer in areas having a non-reduced average layer thickness is in a range of from 10 to 200 μm, wherein the average layer thickness in areas having a reduced average layer thickness is lower by 7 to 140 μm and is reduced by a range of from 30 to 85% compared to the areas having a non-reduced average layer thickness of the at least one thermoplastic porous absorbing layer, and wherein both areas having a reduced average layer thickness and a non-reduced average layer thickness comprise pores which are able to absorb a functional additive.

The present invention relates to a multilayer film, especially to a multilayer thermoplastic film, which may be used for food packaging, wherein the multilayer film according to the present invention may be provided, on its inner side, with a food additive, particularly with a flavoring and/or coloring and/or an aroma producing food additive (such as e.g. a liquid smoke), which food additive is then released and transferred onto the surface of a foodstuff encased in the multilayer film during cooking and/or processing of the foodstuff.

The present invention relates to a multilayer film, especially to a multilayer thermoplastic film, which may be used for food packaging, wherein the multilayer film according to the present invention may be provided, on its inner side, with a food additive, particularly with a flavoring and/or coloring and/or an aroma producing food additive (such as e.g. a liquid smoke), which food additive is then released and transferred onto the surface of a foodstuff encased in the multilayer film during cooking and/or processing of the foodstuff.

The present invention relates to a method and production line for in-line processing of food products. The method comprises the step of co-extruding a food dough into a flow of co-extruded food products having a casing that comprises a protein, or a hybrid casing of a protein and a polymer, wherein the method subsequently comprises the successive steps of: a) subjecting the flow of co-extruded food products to a surface treating step, b) subjecting the flow of food products to a thermal treating step, and c) optionally, subjecting the thermally treated flow of food products to a post-thermal treating step, wherein in step b) the flow of food products is at least subsequently subjected to a first thermal treating step, and a second thermal treating step.